'Maeum-ON' psychological care program to run September through December
Siheung City will launch a pilot program from September through December that uses AI to detect early signs of health deterioration and social isolation among care recipients and connect them with needed services, the city announced Monday.
The project is being carried out in partnership with Le Monde Consortium, a company selected under the Ministry of Health and Welfare's program to accelerate the commercial rollout of AI-based welfare products. Siheung is participating as a public demonstration site for field-testing AI-driven care services, operating an AI care platform called Maeum-ON for integrated care recipients.
Maeum-ON monitors recipients' health and daily routines through tablet-based AI conversations and Internet of Things sensors. The system analyzes changes in voice patterns, sleep and activity levels to detect early warning signs and flag risks of health decline or social isolation.
The city said the program is designed to supplement traditional phone and in-person welfare checks by identifying small changes in daily life more quickly, strengthening a prevention-focused care framework that intervenes before a crisis develops.
The program begins with participant selection and consent, followed by installation of tablets and IoT devices. When the AI detects an anomaly in a recipient's lifestyle data, a local case worker follows up directly to assess the person's health and care needs. If necessary, tailored services — including health, medical, nursing and care support — are arranged. The recipient's condition and service use are then monitored on an ongoing basis, with support adjusted as needed.
The city said AI analysis results will serve as a supplementary tool for early detection of warning signs, while actual service decisions will be made only after consultation and assessment by case workers. The approach is intended to harness the strengths of AI technology while maintaining the reliability and safety of person-centered care.
After the pilot concludes in December, the city plans to conduct a comprehensive review of the results to evaluate the effectiveness and field applicability of the AI-based preventive care model, with findings to be incorporated into future integrated care policy and projects.
Shim Yun-sik, director of Siheung City's welfare bureau, said integrated care must go beyond providing support when help is needed and instead proactively monitor warning signs in residents' daily lives to connect them with services at the right time. "We will effectively integrate new technologies such as AI into a people-centered care system, building a Siheung-style integrated care framework where residents can live healthy and safe lives in their own communities," he said.
pjh@heraldcorp.com
